Bad Weather & Night Driving — New Mexico
New Mexico CDL practice test: 411 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Bad Weather & Night Driving: 24 questions.
Rain, snow, ice, fog and night driving: visibility, traction and headlight use.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Bad Weather & Night Driving |
| License test | New Mexico CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 24 (6% of 411 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
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Questions (24)
1. When carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, your vehicle should not be:
- Parked within 300 feet of a bridge. ✓
- Parked within 40 feet of the road.
- Driven in rain or snow.
Answer: A. Parked within 300 feet of a bridge.
You should not park within 300 feet of a bridge when carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives. The handbook's parking rule for these explosives forbids parking within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, building, place where people gather, or open fire, except for short operational stops such as fueling. It also says never park within five feet of the traveled part of the road. That makes the bridge-distance choice the one that matches the rule. The passages do not set a 40-foot road distance and do not ban driving in rain or snow.
2. How do ice cream trucks become hazardous to other drivers?
- Ice cream trucks must be kept cold.
- Children often run toward an ice cream truck without looking for other traffic. ✓
- Ice cream trucks leave trails of water and ice on the roadway.
Answer: B. Children often run toward an ice cream truck without looking for other traffic.
Children make an ice cream truck hazardous because they often run toward it without looking for other traffic. The handbook lists someone selling ice cream as a hazard clue. It explains that children may be nearby and may not see you, and it also says children tend to act quickly without checking traffic. That combination is what makes the truck hazardous: the truck attracts children, and their attention may be on it rather than on other vehicles. The bank answer matches this idea by pointing to children moving toward the truck without looking for traffic.
3. When driving on a wet road, you should reduce your speed by:
- About one-half.
- About one-third. ✓
- About one-quarter.
Answer: B. About one-third.
On a wet road, you should reduce your speed by about one-third. The handbook explains that wet roads can double your stopping distance, so you have to drive slower to stop within the same distance you would need on dry pavement. It gives a specific target for a wet road: cut your speed by roughly a third, slowing from 55 to about 35 mph. That is the wet-road figure, separate from the guidance for packed snow or ice.
4. In cool weather, as the temperature begins to rise and ice begins to melt:
- It is usually safe to drive.
- The road will become even more slippery. ✓
- Traction will increase.
Answer: B. The road will become even more slippery.
The road will become even more slippery as ice begins to melt. The handbook warns that when the temperature rises to the point where ice starts to melt, the road becomes even more slippery, so you should slow down more. It also explains that slight melting makes ice wet, and wet ice is much more slippery than ice that is not wet. That means melting ice does not make driving safer or improve traction; it makes the surface harder to handle, so you need to reduce speed and drive smoothly.
5. Skids happen when:
- Tires lose their grip on the road. ✓
- There is too much weight in the trailer.
- ABS kicks in.
Answer: A. Tires lose their grip on the road.
Skids happen when the tires lose their grip on the road. The handbook ties a skid to the tires failing to hold the road. That is the same idea as the choice about losing grip. The braking passages mention locked wheels during a turn, and another passage discusses hydroplaning, but those are situations where grip can be lost, not a different definition. So the direct cause named in the handbook is loss of tire grip, not how much weight the trailer carries or the ABS system activating.
6. If you see taillights ahead while you are driving in fog:
- The lights may not indicate where the road is as the vehicle may have pulled off the roadway. ✓
- You can assume the vehicle ahead is on the road.
- It may be an optical illusion.
Answer: A. The lights may not indicate where the road is as the vehicle may have pulled off the roadway.
The lights may not indicate where the road is, because the vehicle ahead may have pulled off the roadway. The handbook warns that taillights or headlights you see ahead in fog are not a reliable guide to the road's path. The vehicle you are following might not be on the road at all; it could be standing off to the side. That is why the handbook tells you to use roadside reflectors to help judge the curve ahead and to listen for traffic you cannot see. So you should not treat those lights as proof of where the roadway is.
7. If your vehicle is hydroplaning, you should:
- Accelerate.
- Not use the brakes. ✓
- Put the vehicle in reverse.
Answer: B. Not use the brakes.
8. Hydroplaning:
- Only occurs at extremely high speeds.
- Can occur at speeds as low as 30 mph. ✓
- Happens most frequently when tire pressure is too high.
Answer: B. Can occur at speeds as low as 30 mph.
Hydroplaning can occur at speeds as low as 30 mph when there is a lot of water on the road. The handbook says plainly that hydroplaning can happen at speeds as low as 30 mph if there is a lot of water. It also notes that it does not take much water to cause it. So the idea that you must be driving extremely fast to lose traction on wet pavement is wrong, and tire condition matters too: low pressure or worn tread makes hydroplaning more likely because the grooves cannot carry water away.
9. ____ is a thin layer of ice that forms on road surfaces.
- White ice
- Black ice ✓
- Green ice
Answer: B. Black ice
Black ice is a thin layer of ice that forms on road surfaces. The handbook describes black ice as a thin layer that is clear enough for you to see the road underneath it, so the road looks wet. It warns that any time the temperature is below freezing and the road looks wet, you should watch for black ice. The same section says that on an icy surface you should slow to a crawl and stop driving as soon as you can safely do so.
10. A thin layer of ice that forms on road surfaces is called:
- White ice.
- Black ice. ✓
- Blue ice.
Answer: B. Black ice.
A thin layer of ice on a road surface is called black ice. The handbook's slippery-road section defines black ice as a thin, clear layer that lets you see the pavement underneath. Because it is clear, it can make the road look wet instead of icy. The passage also warns that when the temperature is below freezing and the road looks wet, you should watch for black ice. That description matches the question exactly, so black ice is the correct term.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook